Today, on May 20, the auditorium of the 11a educational building of the Belarusian National Technical University hosted the final of one of the most striking and long-awaited events of the year – the Mr. BNTU 2026 competition. Ten finalists, a racing theme, and a full drive of emotions created a true celebration of talent and intelligence.
The contenders for the main title took to the stage not only to win, but also to prove that being a leader in today's world means combining determination, the willingness to overcome challenges, charisma, and talent.
The performances of the contestants were evaluated by a competent jury:
Ksenia Yakushenko, Vice-Rector for Research at BNTU;
Ilya Ogrenich, Chief Specialist and Deputy Chairman of the Youth Council of the Belarusian Trade Union of Education and Science Workers;
Maxim Kulik, Chairman of the Primary Trade Union Organization of BNTU Students;
Elizaveta Lagodich, Miss Top Model of the Miss Belarus 2025 National Beauty Pageant;
Natalia Smorshchek, a teacher of choreography at the Minsk Suvorov Military School, a choreographer and director of large-scale state projects in Belarus, a participant and choreographer of television projects, and a laureate of international choreographic competitions.
The competition program was intense, and the participants faced numerous challenges. Shortly before the final, the contestants participated in an intellectual tournament, where they competed in their knowledge and demonstrated their broad-mindedness.
The final of the competition consisted of several stages: business cards, improvisation, creative performances, and conceptual fashion shows. The competition began with business cards, where the finalists used their oratorical skills and storytelling ideas to prove that they were unique individuals with distinct personalities, experiences, and self-improvement efforts.
The most exciting and interesting challenge was the improvisation stage. During the stage, photos of the participants, generated by artificial intelligence, appeared on a large screen behind the participants. The finalists' task was to explain the photo to the audience in a few seconds and how it could be related to them. It was a real test of creativity and courage.
The creative block became the main decoration of the evening — the boundaries between genres were blurred here, and the stage turned into a territory of courage and drive. For example, Dmitry Ignatiev, a student of the Faculty of Architecture, chose the path of unexpected synthesis. He started with a puppet theater, but in an instant, the puppeteer took off his mask and rapped, transforming into a street poet.
One of the most poignant performances was by Andrei Svirepik, a student from the Faculty of Automotive Engineering. He chose a sensual, almost meditative dance accompanied by a sincere monologue about the depth of feelings and emotions. This performance left even the most boisterous fans in awe. Andrei demonstrated that being a man does not mean hiding one's emotions but rather expressing them in a beautiful and honest manner.
Roman Pavlyuchenko, a student from the Faculty of Energy Construction, and his team staged a real jousting tournament in a palace: armor, swords, male honor, and no mercy. The spectacular battle ended with an unexpected finale: the knight removed his helmet and performed a virtuosic dance in his armor to a modern beat.
It is worth noting that each performance was a separate mini-show. The finalists lived out their characters, broke genre boundaries, and proved that engineers, builders, and architects can also be artists, poets, knights, and dancers.
The dance group "Sunrise" from the Faculty of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship and the music cover band "Vernissage" from the Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy added highlights to the concert program.
After the exciting performances, it was time to announce the results. Before the main winners were announced, the jury recognized each participant in special categories.
"I have a question" - Alexander Terez (Faculty of Management Technologies and Humanitarization);
"Zero Error" - Roman Abramovich (Faculty of Military Engineering);
"Fireworks of Words" - Roman Pavlyuchenko (Faculty of Energy Engineering);
"Balance in Development" - Roman Soroko (Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy);
"Spinning and Turning" - Maxim Tkachenko (Faculty of Information Technology and Robotics);
"Full throttle" - Evgeny Lavrusik (Faculty of Automotive Engineering);
"He has money" - Andrey Svirepik (Faculty of Automotive Engineering);
"Dial at 8:10" - Alexey Dudarenok (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology);
"Universal conspiracy" - Dmitry Ignatiev (Faculty of Architecture);
"100% charge" - Anton Lakiza (Faculty of Civil Engineering).
– Thank you very much for the invitation. All those who are on the stage right now are already winners, because everything we saw today, everything we observed today, is at least an incredible piece of art that was presented to us. Thank you so much, guys, I didn't expect it to be this great. Don't stop at any cost," said Natalia Smorshchek.
For the second year in a row, the organizers of the competition have been recognizing the active participation of the finalists. For example, Roman Soroko, a student from the Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy, was awarded the "In Everyone's Heart" nomination by the organizers.
During the final of the competition, an online vote was held on the Instagram account of the BNTU Students' Public Relations Office, and as a result, Maxim Tkachenko, a student from the Faculty of Information Technology and Robotics, was named the winner in the "Mr. BNTU ONLINE - 2026" category.
Dmitry Ignatiev, a student from the Faculty of Architecture, was awarded a special prize by the jury. Anton Lakiza, a student from the Faculty of Construction, was named the Vice-Mr. BNTU - 2026.
The main title of "Mr. BNTU 2026" was won by Roman Pavlyuchenko, a student of energy construction.
The final is over, but the emotions remain. "Mr. BNTU 2026" showed that the Polytechnic University is home to not just future engineers, but real men who are ready to conquer any heights, both on stage and in life.
